


First Choice

by FractalBunny



Series: Voltron Fix-Its [1]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Episode: s07e04 The Feud, Fix-It, Gen, Keith angst? Kangst?, Langst, M/M, Mild Language, klangst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-11
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-25 17:25:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15645462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FractalBunny/pseuds/FractalBunny
Summary: The paladins have to choose who gets to leave Garfle Warfle Snick. Lance has a realization about his friends. Keith deals with his feelings.





	First Choice

"Go!" Bob shouted. They had to choose who could leave the gameshow while the others were forced to stay behind, and it was their final challenge.

The paladins started to consider who was the most worthy. Hunk, Pidge, and Allura immediately started writing, while Keith and Lance both stared blankly at their screens. Hunk started to doodle while he thought about his options. Pidge listed everyone's name and started tallying points next to each one, giving each paladin a point for the good traits she could think of. Bob's back was turned while he talked to one of the show's producers, so Lance peered around the front of his barrier at Hunk's screen. There was nothing interesting, although Hunk had drawn a surprisingly good doodle of one of the space mice. Lance rolled his eyes and looked over at Pidge's screen. She was so absorbed in her point system that she didn't notice Lance's neck craning in front of her.

There were six points next to Allura, eight next to Hunk, five next to Keith, six next to her own name, and three next to Lance. Lance pulled away and frowned when he was back behind the barrier. Hunk, his childhood best friend, didn't write him down right away, and Pidge, a newer but still well-loved best friend thought he was the least worthy to leave, at least in her personal point system. That stung. 

The two of them wouldn't be the best choices either, he thought; they were just as under-qualified as he was. 

It left Lance with Keith and Allura; he couldn't vote for himself, because Hunk and Pidge were right—he wasn't exactly the most qualified to protect the universe on his own, and he'd come to understand that time and time again. As much as he wanted to see his family, saving them was more important.

Allura was determined, diplomatic, and beyond smart. He couldn't resist feeling a pang of sadness at the idea of her leaving without him, however. Lance started to write her name down anyways, knowing that she was by far the most qualified to lead the universe into an era of peace.

" _A-L-L-U-R..._ "

Some unseen force stopped him. His fingers clenched hard around the stylus. He pulled his hand back.

No.

Lance thought about it once more. Allura, although perfect to him in every way, wasn't the right choice. She had no idea how to handle Earth, humans, or the Galaxy Garrison. They would lock her up and examine her instead of listening to her.

He'd have to pick the person the _universe_ needed, not the person _he_ wanted.

Keith, especially after his adventure with Krolia and Kosmo, had matured beyond belief. Lance had seen him smile more in the past few days than during their entire time at the garrison together. He'd grown into the role of being the Black Paladin, and had truly become their team leader. He was driven, fierce, and wouldn't take no for an answer. He would land the Black Lion on top of the Garrison and slash his way in if he had to just to warn them of the impending Galra invasion. Plus, he was half Galra, so he'd be able to help humanity unlock the secrets of the enemy's technology and biology to counter them. 

Lance had a deep respect for Keith, even though he'd been uncharacteristically cold since returning with Krolia. He seemed warm and friendly with the others, but every time Lance crossed his path, he iced over and mumbled out a greeting or ignored him altogether. It felt like there were snakes writhing under Lance's skin every time Keith avoided eye contact, but he didn't know why. Sure, they'd bonded more before Keith left for the Blade of Marmora, but things had changed.

Lance clutched the stylus tighter when he thought back to their time together, trying to rationalize choosing Keith over Allura. Saving Shiro, finding Allura and Coran, forming Voltron for the first time, capturing Sendak—right. That. Lance's memory was foggy, but he did remember Keith's arms around him. He remembered Keith's hand in his. He remembered a fond smile before being wrapped up in two surprisingly firm arms, then carried to a healing pod.

" _I'll have your back next time, I promise._ " A gentle, raspy voice whispered into his ear before the glass came down between them.

Keith had always been a leader. He'd just been lurking in the shadows rather than stepping up to the plate.

Lance scratched out Allura's name and wrote Keith's down instead.

"Final hooches! Make your selections, everyone..." Bob's voice snapped Lance out of his own head and he looked up at the floating green alien. "Time's up! Hunk, let's start with you, who'd you vote for?" Allura's face popped up on the screen underneath Hunk.

"Well, I voted for Allura. She's the princess, and she's a natural leader, so..." Hunk shrugged. "Y'know. The universe needs her more than us." He beamed at Allura, who smiled back sweetly.

"Thank you, Hunk." Allura rubbed his shoulder for a moment before looking back at her console.

"Allura, who did you vote for?" Bob leaned forwards in his seat.

"I selected Pidge." Pidge's face lit up Allura's screen. "She and her family have the best chance of rebuilding what my father started." Pidge looked at Allura, her eyes twinkling with admiration.

"Interesting." Bob rubbed his forefinger and thumb together. "Lance, who got your vote?"

"I voted for Keith." Keith's face lit up Lance's screen. "He's our leader, plus he's half Galra, so...I think he's, like, the future." Lance felt his cheeks and the tips of his ears go pink. It was embarrassing to admit that _Keith_ was the brightest hope for the universe, especially in front of the broody paladin himself. Lance tried to make eye contact with him, a hopeful smile at the corners of his lips, but Keith kept staring straight ahead, arms crossed.

"Keith, the _leader_ , who do you think deserves to make it out of here, huh?" Without Keith saying a word, Lance's face lit up his screen. Lance froze in shock—he wouldn't have expected Keith to pick _him_ in a million years, especially after their painfully one-sided interactions of the recent past.

"Lance? Why Lance?" Bob cocked his head to the side, and Lance wanted to jump over his console and yank that little _asshole_ right out of his chair to teach him a few things.

"I just don't wanna be stuck here for eternity with Lance." Keith snarled. Lance bit back in the only way he knew how.

"Aw, thanks man. Scared you'll end up liking me too much? It happens." He looked back at Allura, whose eyes were rolling into the back of her head.

"We're down to our very last vote. Pidge, you're the paladin that everyone says is the smartest, the most analytical, the most logical! Let's see who you voted for." Hunk's face lit up Pidge's screen. Lance felt a strange stitch of betrayal in his side. "Hunk? Seriously?"

"Yeah. Hunk gets along with everybody. If anyone's gonna go out into the universe and bring people together, it's him, by far." She looked at Hunk, and the two smiled and fist-bumped right in front of Lance. He put on a smile and looked over at Keith again, but to no avail. Keith's lip curled up before he shut his eyes and turned his head the other way.

* * *

After everyone but the paladins had gone back to sleep, Lance's hand hovered over one of the Red Lion's many controls. He bit the bullet and flipped the switch, opening a private communications channel with Keith.

"Keith?" He whispered, feeling like the others would hear if he spoke any louder.

"What, is something wrong?" Keith's voice came back, gritty and irritated.

"No, I just...can we talk, man? You...I don't know. That Bob guy really messed with my head." Lance sighed. He'd been able to trust Keith with his feelings before, but now he wasn't so sure.

"Yeah, whatever."

"Well..." Lance frowned. "I'm not dumb, right?" He knew he wasn't, but he wanted to gauge Keith's feelings about him, and it seemed as good a place to start as any.

"No, Lance." Keith's frustration was painfully obvious. Lance let go of Red's controls and sat back. "Anything else you need to ask me?" He dug his fingernails into his palms. "Lance, if you can't think of anything in the next five seconds, I'm just gonna—"

"What's your problem, man?" The space between the two lions thickened. "Ever since you got back, you've been such...such a dick! But just to me! What the hell did I do to you?" Lance heard Keith growl, audibly _growl_ , and he shrunk back into his seat.

"Nothing!"

"I thought we were friends!" Lance snapped. "I trust you with everything I've got!"

* * *

_Lance's face pressed into Allura's shoulder, a_ _soft exchange of sweetened words, and a sudden jolt of fear when Keith's voice cut them apart._

Keith's eyes teared. He could feel himself getting worked up as he was flooded with memories. He'd stood outside Lance's healing pod as the seconds crawled by. They'd comforted each other more times than he could count, especially when Keith was lost, alone without Shiro. And in the end, Lance wanted someone else, but that was his choice.

"Don't worry about it. Just go back to sleep." Keith cut the comms before Lance's reply could shear through him. A tear streamed down his cheek, running over his still-healing scar. He pulled his knees up to his chest and rested his forehead between them. The situation was grim; Lance and Allura clearly had _something_ between them, despite everything Keith thought he and Lance had built together. He turned to look at the Red Lion. Despite everything, Lance was still right there, his right hand.

Might as well push him away before getting hurt, right?

Too late.

He wiped away his tears and focused on getting back to sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> This fix-it is partially based on:  
> -This post: https://zerlane.tumblr.com/post/176861700003/to-be-honest-all-signs-point-to-keith-thinking  
> -A conversation in the "klance klance" Discord about Lance (specifically what my pal Kya said) looking at Pidge and Hunk's screens and partially making his decision from that
> 
> IM ABSOLUTELY CHOKING AT THE TIME IM WRITING THIS IM AT 3100 VIEWS WHAT  
> THANK YOU  
> 


End file.
